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Marc Andreessen
@pmarca
This is how so many of these speech disputes go. The main question is not truth or falsehood or etc., it's whether a topic is useful for establishing the political friend/enemy distinction. Once it's not, the topic is fine to discuss, as it has become nonpolitical.
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Marc Andreessen
@pmarca
When Trump was in office, the COVID lab leak theory was viewed as anti-China and therefore pro-Trump xenophobic misinformation. Trump left office in 1/21, leftist Jon Stewart broke ranks in 6/21, and the lab leak theory has been fine to discuss ever since. youtube.com/watch?v=sSfejg
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queenofbabble
@queenofbabble
Replying to
@pmarca
It's really not that simple. It's the tone and context and the words one uses to talk about the topic. Right wing racists are still talking about the lab leak theory in a racist and unacceptable way. Others are able to have the conversation and discussion without being racist.
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Pramod Gosavi
@ppgosavi
Replying to
@pmarca
Not saying censorship was good, but might have avoided quite a few racist attacks on Asian folks if this was discussed broadly. Purists want no censorship, but done in the interest of people might not be a bad thing?
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Taylor Morgan
@tlrdrkmrgn
Replying to
@rabois
and
@pmarca
This is precisely why free speech is so important and why it should be the mission at Twitter. The political winds shift… support for truth, open dialogue, and liberty shouldn’t.
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Tony Piassa
@TonyPiassa
Replying to
@pmarca
and
@NAChristakis
Because people saw Trump use it as a weapon to place blame and also to attack the "others". Jon Stewart just thought it might be a possibility. If people had seen the same intent in trump they wouldn’t have had as much an issue with it